Latch knitting machine needle



Jam. 26, 1932. G. I... HANCOCK 1,842,548

LATCH KNITTING MACHINE NEEDLE Filed Jan. 4, 1930 Fig. 5.

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a 6 George L.Honcock b WWk/QZWJ ATTys.

Patented Jan. 26, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GEORGE L. HANCOCK, OF FRANKLIN, NEW HAMPSHIRE, ASSIGNOR TO FRANKLIN NEEDLE COMPANY, OF FRANKLIN, NEW HAMPSHIRE, A CORPORATION OF NEW HAMPSHIRE LATCH KNITTING MACHINE NEEDLE 7 Application filed. January 4, 1930. Serial No. 418,526.

This invention relates to latch knitting machine needles and it has for one of its objects to provide a knitting machine needle with an improved form of latch which not only facilitates the sheddingof the loops but which also obviates the possibility of the loops becoming frayed by the breaking of one or more of the strands or fibres of the yarn during the loopshedding operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved knitting machine needle which is designed to eliminate the formation of so-called whiskers on the yarn during the knitting; operation, this term whiskers being; sometimes used to indicate the ends of broken fibres or strands of the yarn which stand out from the yarn or the goods made from the yarn.

In making a latch knitting machine needle it is now the common practice to make the latch with a body or shank portion of substantially uniform thickness, except at the free end which is given a sort of spoon shape to receive the point of the needle hook. The end of the latch opposite the spoon-shaped end is pivoted in a slot formed in the needle body and the thickness of the body of the latch is such as to allow it to freely pivot in the slot.

With this construction the latch will be formed at each side with a more or less abrupt shoulder at the point where the spoon portion merges into the body or shank portion of uniform diameter. The presence of these shoulders interferes more or less with the shedding of the loops during the knitting operation especially if the loops are drawn tight.

During the shedding operation the loops will move freely over the closed latch until they reach the abrupt enlargement at each side of the latch caused by the spoon formation at the end of the latch, and as the loops meet these abrupt enlargements they are apt to be caught thereon thus interfering with the free shed ding movement. Moreover, in passing by the enlarged end of the latch caused by the spoon formation it not infrequently happens that some of the fibres or strands of the yarn W111 become broken thereby leaving have specially formed the needle so as to per mit my improved latch to lie flatly against the shank of the needle when in open position and have also provided a novel shape of needle which eliminates any possibility of the strands or fibres of the loop of yarn engaged by the hook becoming broken when the latch closes.

In order to give an understanding of the invention I have illustrated in the drawings a selected embodiment thereof which will now be described after which the novel features will be pointed out in the appended claims.

Fig. 1 is a side View of one end of a knitting machine needle embodying my invention showing the latch closed;

Fig. 2 is a similar View showing the latch open;

F ig. 8 is a front view of Fig. 1;

Fig. t is a front view of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5, Fig. 1.

F 6 is a section on the line 66, Fig. 1.

In the drawings 1 indicates the shank of a knitting machine needle of the latch type, said shank being formed at its end with the usual hook 2. 3 indicates the latch, one end 4 of which is received in a slot 5 formed in the needle body, said lat-ch being; pivotally attached to the needle body through the medium of a pivot pin 6.

T he latch. is formed at its outer or free end with the spoon portion 7 having the recess 8 to receive the end of the hook 2 when the latch is closed. as usual in latch needles.

In the operation of knitting the needle is raised to cause the hook to engage the thread during which operation the latch 3 opens to allow the previously-formed loop 10 to slide down onto the shank of the needle as shown in Fig. 2, and as the needle descends it draws a loop 9 of the thread 20 through the previously-formed loop 10, said loop 10 slipping off from the end of the needle as shown in Fig. 1, during which operation the latch 3 is closed.

In order to facilitate this loo sheddin ool eratlon Ipropose tomake tne latch wlth a} progressively-increasing transverse dimension from a point adjacent the pivot 6 to the spoon end. The extreme inner end f ofthe latch which is received between the walls'of the slot 5 may have substantially parallel sides but from about the point 12 to the point 13, which is'the widest point of the spoon portion 7, the latch has a progressively increasing transverse dimension in a direction parallel to the pivot 6. Moreover, at any point in the length of the latch the sine faces thereof are parallel. In other words, at anypoint in the length of the latch said latch has a uniform transverse dimension from the front face to the rear face. This is shown in Figs.

5 and 6. In both Figs. 5 and 6 the side faces 14 are shown as parallel which gives the latch a substantial uniform transverse dimension between the front face andthe rear face of the latch. This gives thes'ide faces 14 of the latch substantially straight or stream lines which are free from any shoulders or abrupt enlargements as is present in the type of latch now commonly used. The result of this construction is that as-the loop 9 is drawn through the loop 10 the latter loop willea-sily pass off from the needle withoutbeing subjected to any sudden tension or st ainsuch as results from the engagement of the loop with a shoulder or abrupt enlargement on the latch. I r

The latch is rounded at the corners 15 where the side faces 14 merge into the edges 16 and thus the latch presents neither sharp edges or abrupt shoulders which are likely to cut or cause breakage of the fibre or strands of the yarn during the knitting operation.

In using a knitting machine needle it is desirable that the latch should be capable of opening pretty flat against the shank of the needle when the needle rises through a previously formed loop to engage afresh loop and in order to provide for this with my stream line latch I propose to widen the latchreceiving slot 5 directly back of the latch as shown at 17, this widened portion having sufficient width to receive the back edge of the stream line latch thereby allowing the latch to fold flatly the shank of the needle as shown in Fig. 2. This wider portion 17 of the slot can be easily formed by a suitable milling tool.

In addition to the above-described features my improved knitting-machine needle is so i made as to provide ample room between the latch and the neck of the needle to prevent any shearing action on the yarn between the closing latch and the neck of the needle which would tend to cut or break any of the fibres of the yarn.

- The needle body is widened somewhat at the point 18 where the latch 3 is pivoted thereto in order to provide a suitable bearing for the latch but it is reduced in transverse dimension immediately beyond the pivotal point 6 of the latch so that atthe end of the slot 5 it presents the narrow neck portion 19.

This shape of needle gives ample room between thelatch and the neck 19 ofthe needle to accommodate the yarn when the latch is closed and obviates any shearing or cutting action on the yarn by'the' latch which would tend to breaker out any of the strands or fibres of the yarn.

I claim.

1. Aknitt-ing machine needle comprising a body having a hook shape atone end and provided with a latch-receiving slot and a latch pivotally mounted in said slot and adapted to swing from closed position in which it overlies the outer face of the hook to open position in which itlies against the .body portion of the needle, said latch having on its inner face adjacent its free end a relatively shallow hook-receiving recess in which the point of the hook is received when the latch is closed, said latch having a progressively-moreasing transverse dimension from a point near the pivotal end thereof to the widest portion of the recessed end, said transverse dimension at any point in the length of the latch being substantially uniform from the front face of the latch to the rear face whereby the latch presents a stream-line contour, the latch-receiving slot in the body being widened at the rear of the latch to permit the stream-linelatch when open to fold flatly against the body.

2. A knitting machine needle comprising a body portion provided with a hook at its end and a latch pivoted to the body portion and adapted to swing froma closed position in which it lies against the outside of the point of the hook to an openpositi-on in which it lies against the body on the opposite side of the pivot point from said hook, the inner face -of said latch having a relatively shallow hook-receiving recess in which the point of the hook is received when the latch is closed, said latch having a uniformly-increasing transverse dimension from a point near the pivoted end to the widest portion at the free recessed end, and at any point in the length of the-latch, said transverse dimension being substantially uniform from the front face to the rear face, the cornersof the latch where the sides merge with the top and bottom edges being well rounded.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

GEORGE .L. HANCOCK. 

